2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
These uniquely M'sian food plushies are melting hearts
All eight Malaysian food-themed plushies by 'Chubbies' are irresistibly cute. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
PETALING JAYA : Nasi lemak you can't 'bungkus'. Curry puffs you can't eat. Ice cream potong that never melts. Disappointed? Don't be because you can curl up with them in bed instead.
That's the idea behind Chubbies, the first and only local plushie brand, inspired by Malaysia's best-loved foods.
Started last year by couple Ian Gan Ming Zhi and Jess Ho Mun Yan, Chubbies adds a local twist to plushies, from their designs to their cheeky names.
Their first creation? 'Cara the curry puff'.
This local brand was founded by couple Ian Gan Ming Zhi and Jess Ho Mun Yan. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
'In 2022, we were in Bangkok, just casually browsing in a mall, when we came across some food plushies,' Gan, 31, told FMT Lifestyle. That's when inspiration hit.
'Being such a food-centric country, it felt strange that nothing like this existed here,' Gan added.
'For a long time, the two of us had wanted to create something meaningful. We've always had a bunch of hobbies so we thought, this is a great idea to pour our hearts into,' Ho, 29, said.
Although they're manufactured overseas, each plushie is designed in-house by Gan himself, armed with just his iPad and pen. With corporate backgrounds, neither had experience in design or anything remotely as cute as plushies. Still, they pushed on.
Their first creation, Cara the curry puff, remains their best-seller. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
And don't be fooled, making plushies is serious business.
'When we first created the character, it was ugly,' Gan admitted. 'It was so bad – weird twirls, the wrong colours, odd proportions, eyes far apart, and we even had to figure out the right level of squishiness.'
He said it was quite an interesting process because you had to know how textiles worked in order to create a well-crafted plushie with a pleasing design and the right amount of 'squeeze'.
And guess what? Their curry puff plushie is still their best-seller.
From there came another Malaysian staple: nasi lemak, affectionately named Nyle, complete with anchovies and peanuts embroidered on the back.
'Our nasi lemak plushie doesn't have an egg, because he donated his egg to Ravi the roti telur,' Ho shared with a laugh.
Gan and Ho recently redesigned their plushies as bag charms. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
The couple also wanted to add a drink into the mix, but bubble tea and cup plushies had been done to death. So, they opted for something unmistakably Malaysian: teh ikat tepi, personified as Talia.
And just to up the charm factor, they gave all their plushies adorably cross-eyed gazes.
They now have eight plushies in their collection, including Sophie the Seri Muka, Ollie the Otak-otak, and their newest addition, Polly the ice cream potong.
Ho shared that the best part about starting Chubbies has been the customer interactions and stories.
'One of our customers bought a nasi lemak plushie for her friend who was on a diet but craving nasi lemak,' she revealed.
'During Ramadan, we even get comments saying our social media posts of plushies are too tempting.'
Chubbies is on track to expand their range of Malaysian food-themed plushies. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
Chubbies has also won over mums, who share them with their kids, take playful 'eating' photos, or hang the plushies on school bags.
'When someone receives our plushie, I hope they feel joy, and happy that they have something unique and Malaysian. I also hope they feel hungry!' Gan said.
And with the craze over Labubu plush toys and bag charms, Chubbies has now added a little tag to each plushie so it can be hung.
In the future, the couple hopes to expand Chubbies to include custom designs and even giant plushies big enough to fill your bed.
So, if you're struggling to control your cravings, you might want to grab a Chubbies plushie instead!
Follow Chubbies on Instagram
Shop online or find them at:
TWIGS Bookshop, Sunway 163 Mall
Unit 1F-12, First Floor, Sunway 163 Mall
8, Jalan Kiara Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
GiftPortals, One Utama Shopping Centre
2nd Floor, S1028
1 Utama Shopping Centre
No. 1, Lebuh Bandar Utama
Bandar Utama Petaling Jaya
